Fall in Love with Butternut Squash Soup

byJoan Robinett WilsononOctober 18, 2011

The perfect accompaniment to autumn

Okay, this has been such a busy past week. It seems my life runs away with me sometimes most of the time. Some days I long to be June Cleaver, but alas, it is my destiny to be a Lucy. When I look at my lovely kitchen island which is covered in old newspapers, dirty plates, a bottle of syrup, a clean crock pot, a camera, Miss G.’s 2009 tax return, a barbie brush, a dirty bread board, Coco’s drawings, and a big pile of mailings from colleges and other miscellaneous and sundry items, I think to myself, “I need an Alice”. You know, Mike Brady’s Alice. Unfortunately, I think Mike Brady was a little bit more successful architect than me, so there is probably no Alice in my immediate future. But, one can always dream…..

When I do get myself organized enough to cook a nice every day dinner my kids all love this butternut squash soup. Isn’t it amazing? Kids liking squash….They know fall is in the air when I start making it. I think I could make it once a week and they wouldn’t tire of it. Chef Conni Brownell of The Charmed Radish first prepared this soup in my kitchen(when it was clean) for a fundraiser a few years ago. It has been indispensable ever since. I hope you enjoy it, too!

Butternut Squash Soup with Gruyere Croutons

adapted from Conni Brownell of The Charmed Radish

Ingredients:

1 largebutternut squash

2 T.butter

2 T.olive oil

1 onion, diced small

2 clovesgarlic, minced

3 T.fresh thyme, minced

2-3 cupschicken or vegetable stock

1 cuphalf and half

salt andpepper to taste

1baguette sliced 1/4 inch thick

softened butter

gratedgruyere cheese

a little bit of fresh thyme and fresh sage, minced

Cooking Directions:

Roast the squash whole with some fork pricks on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for about an hour. Let it cool a little and then peel off the skin & scoop out the icky innards. Chop up the flesh.

Melt butter and olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic for about 10 minutes until tender. Add broth, squash and herbs and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about ten minutes (until squash is super tender).

Working in smaller batches, puree the soup in a food processor and return it to the same pot. Stir in the cream and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

For the croutons butter one side of the bread and broil butter side up on a baking sheet until golden brown. Flip over and sprinkle with a little cheese a pinch of thyme and a pinch of sage, salt and pepper. Broil until the cheese melts and top each bowl of soup with a crouton.

Snohomish, WA is where you’ll find me, architect mom,”drafting a life”;working from home as an architect, managing my family’s lives, forgetting to clean the house, building some crazy thing or another, sometimes cooking a great meal and always packing my kids horrible lunches.